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Friday, August 20, 2010

Poll: What do you think about discount- for-information programs?

Today, I received a call from Costco (where we do most of our grocery shopping) about some eggs that we bought a few weeks ago. It turns out that we bought some of the eggs that are thought to be contaminated. The message told us this fact and it told us that we could come in for a full refund (a whopping couple of bucks). Even though the message was automated, I was impressed that our grocery store was so proactive about the recall.

The only reason Costco knew to contact us is because they keep disturbingly meticulous records of our shopping history. Today, I was grateful, but it goes to show how much our grocer knows about what we buy and when.

I could not help wondering the extent to which Costco uses this information to target our pocketbook. If I were Costco management, that is the first thing I would do with the information. The ability to build goodwill by notifying customers of their recall rights.

That brings me to my poll question this week:

How do you feel about club promotions (like Costco or discount cards elsewhere) that give you discounts in exchange for the ability to track your purchase history?

a. Not good. They know too much.

b. Great! This means they will have my favorite products in stock.

c. Indifferent. They cannot do much with my information.

As always, the poll is open for a week, so vote early and often. I am interested in seeing what you have to say, but like the grocery sttore I won't know unless you tell me.